County profile

Caroline County

Maryland · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
33,669
Median household income
$68,457
People below poverty
12.2%
Median home value
$290,100

Income

The median income of households in Caroline County, Maryland was $68,457. An estimated 3.3% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.3
$10,000 to $14,999 3.9
$15,000 to $24,999 7.9
$25,000 to $34,999 9.1
$35,000 to $49,999 11.8
$50,000 to $74,999 18.2
$75,000 to $99,999 14.8
$100,000 to $149,999 16.5
$150,000 to $199,999 8.1
$200,000 or more 6.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 61233
Female 48606

An estimated 78% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 23 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,685. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 78
Social Security 33.9
Retirement income 23
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.5
Cash public assistance income 4.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.6% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.6

In 2020-2024, 17.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 47.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 45.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 44.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024, 92.7% had health insurance coverage and 7.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 56.3% and public coverage was 50.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.5%.


In 2020-2024, Caroline County, Maryland had a total population of 33,669 - 17,122 (50.9%) females and 16,547 (49.1%) males. The median age was 39.9 years. An estimated 23.9% of the population was under 18 years, 30.2% was 19 to 44 years, 26.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1114 1046
5 to 9 1284 1240
10 to 14 993 900
15 to 19 1096 1044
20 to 24 963 982
25 to 29 887 923
30 to 34 1096 1157
35 to 39 1072 1088
40 to 44 1052 936
45 to 49 855 1006
50 to 54 1084 1099
55 to 59 1042 1132
60 to 64 1331 1416
65 to 69 871 864
70 to 74 822 909
75 to 79 499 579
80 to 84 276 258
85 and over 210 543

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 73.1% were White; 12.9% were Black or African American; 12.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 5.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 9.3% of the people in Caroline County, Maryland were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 72.5% of the people in Caroline County, Maryland were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 12,495 households in Caroline County, Maryland. The average household size was 2.65 people.

Married-couple households made up 45.7% of the households in Caroline County, Maryland while cohabiting couple households made up 6.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 29.5% of all households, while 17.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.3% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.8% of all households.

In Caroline County, Maryland, 32.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 45.7
Cohabiting Couples 6.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
29.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 48% of males and 44.9% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 36.2 30.4
Now married, except separated 48 44.9
Separated 0.9 1.6
Widowed 3.9 9.4
Divorced 10.9 13.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Caroline County, Maryland, 842 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 35% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 93.9% of the people living in Caroline County, Maryland were U.S. natives. 68.3% of the Caroline County, Maryland population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 6.1% of Caroline County, Maryland residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 26.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 53.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Caroline County, Maryland come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Caroline County, Maryland.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 72.3
Asia 11.2
Europe 13.8
Africa 1.7
Northern America 1
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024, 8.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 7% of people at least five years old; 4.4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 7
Other Indo-European languages 1.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Caroline County, Maryland were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.8
Different house, same county 3.7
Different county, same state 4.3
Different state 0.8
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 83.8 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 16.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 16.2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Caroline County, Maryland was 7,845 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 591 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 5,861. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,393.

Educational Attainment of People in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 16.2
High school diploma or equivalency 40.4
Some college, no degree 20.5
Associate's degree 6.7
Bachelor's degree 9.5
Graduate or professional degree 6.7

Disability

In Caroline County, Maryland, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.7% of people under 18 years old, to 14.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Caroline County, Maryland, 59.8 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.3% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 12,176 76.3
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,749 17.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,003 6.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Caroline County, Maryland worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 4.4
Construction 13.8
Manufacturing 7.2
Wholesale trade 2.2
Retail trade 13.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.2
Information 0.8
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 9.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 5.2
Other Services, except public administration 6.2
Public administration 7.7

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,829 30.3
Service occupations 3,035 19
Sales and office occupations 3,231 20.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,673 16.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,191 13.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 82.4% of Caroline County, Maryland workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 33.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 82.4
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 1.1
Other means 2.5
Worked from home 6.9

In 2020-2024, Caroline County, Maryland had a total of 13,531 housing units. Of these housing units, 81.1% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 11.5% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 7.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 81.1
Apartments in multi-unit structures 11.5
Mobile homes 7.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

7.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 16.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Caroline County, Maryland was 6.2 rooms, and of these housing units 70.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Caroline County, Maryland had 12,495 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,036 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.9% while renters occupied 28.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.74 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.42.

4.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.5% and another 30.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Caroline County, Maryland:

House Heating Fuel Used in Caroline County, Maryland in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 18.9
Electricity 57.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 14.6
All other fuels 7.8
No fuel used 1.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Caroline County, Maryland was $290,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 63.5 % had a mortgage. 36.5% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,758 and for owners without a mortgage it was $606.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Caroline County, Maryland was $1,105. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.